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The Costa Concordia Disaster: How Human Error Made It Worse

By: Becky Little

Updated: August 10, 2023 | Original: June 23, 2021

Night view on January 16, 2012, of the cruise liner Costa Concordia aground in front of the harbor of Isola del Giglio after hitting underwater rocks on January 13.

Many famous naval disasters happen far out at sea, but on January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia wrecked just off the coast of an Italian island in relatively shallow water. The avoidable disaster killed 32 people and seriously injured many others, and left investigators wondering: Why was the luxury cruise ship sailing so close to the shore in the first place?

During the ensuing trial, prosecutors came up with a tabloid-ready explanation : The married ship captain had sailed it so close to the island to impress a much younger Moldovan dancer with whom he was having an affair.

Whether or not Captain Francesco Schettino was trying to impress his girlfriend is debatable. (Schettino insisted the ship sailed close to shore to salute other mariners and give passengers a good view.) But whatever the reason for getting too close, the Italian courts found the captain, four crew members and one official from the ship’s company, Costa Crociere (part of Carnival Corporation), to be at fault for causing the disaster and preventing a safe evacuation. The wreck was not the fault of unexpected weather or ship malfunction—it was a disaster caused entirely by a series of human errors.

“At any time when you have an incident similar to Concordia, there is never…a single causal factor,” says Brad Schoenwald, a senior marine inspector at the United States Coast Guard. “It is generally a sequence of events, things that line up in a bad way that ultimately create that incident.”

Wrecking Near the Shore

Technicians pass in a small boat near the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia lying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio on January 26, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on January 13.

The Concordia was supposed to take passengers on a seven-day Italian cruise from Civitavecchia to Savona. But when it deviated from its planned path to sail closer to the island of Giglio, the ship struck a reef known as the Scole Rocks. The impact damaged the ship, allowing water to seep in and putting the 4,229 people on board in danger.

Sailing close to shore to give passengers a nice view or salute other sailors is known as a “sail-by,” and it’s unclear how often cruise ships perform these maneuvers. Some consider them to be dangerous deviations from planned routes. In its investigative report on the 2012 disaster, Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructures and Transports found that the Concordia “was sailing too close to the coastline, in a poorly lit shore area…at an unsafe distance at night time and at high speed (15.5 kts).”

In his trial, Captain Schettino blamed the shipwreck on Helmsman Jacob Rusli Bin, who he claimed reacted incorrectly to his order; and argued that if the helmsman had reacted correctly and quickly, the ship wouldn’t have wrecked. However, an Italian naval admiral testified in court that even though the helmsman was late in executing the captain’s orders, “the crash would’ve happened anyway.” (The helmsman was one of the four crew members convicted in court for contributing to the disaster.)

A Questionable Evacuation

Former Captain of the Costa Concordia Francesco Schettino speaks with reporters after being aboard the ship with the team of experts inspecting the wreck on February 27, 2014 in Isola del Giglio, Italy. The Italian captain went back onboard the wreck for the first time since the sinking of the cruise ship on January 13, 2012, as part of his trial for manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Evidence introduced in Schettino’s trial suggests that the safety of his passengers and crew wasn’t his number one priority as he assessed the damage to the Concordia. The impact and water leakage caused an electrical blackout on the ship, and a recorded phone call with Costa Crociere’s crisis coordinator, Roberto Ferrarini, shows he tried to downplay and cover up his actions by saying the blackout was what actually caused the accident.

“I have made a mess and practically the whole ship is flooding,” Schettino told Ferrarini while the ship was sinking. “What should I say to the media?… To the port authorities I have said that we had…a blackout.” (Ferrarini was later convicted for contributing to the disaster by delaying rescue operations.)

Schettino also didn’t immediately alert the Italian Search and Rescue Authority about the accident. The impact on the Scole Rocks occurred at about 9:45 p.m. local time, and the first person to contact rescue officials about the ship was someone on the shore, according to the investigative report. Search and Rescue contacted the ship a few minutes after 10:00 p.m., but Schettino didn’t tell them what had happened for about 20 more minutes.

A little more than an hour after impact, the crew began to evacuate the ship. But the report noted that some passengers testified that they didn’t hear the alarm to proceed to the lifeboats. Evacuation was made even more chaotic by the ship listing so far to starboard, making walking inside very difficult and lowering the lifeboats on one side, near to impossible. Making things worse, the crew had dropped the anchor incorrectly, causing the ship to flop over even more dramatically.

Through the confusion, the captain somehow made it into a lifeboat before everyone else had made it off. A coast guard member angrily told him on the phone to “Get back on board, damn it!” —a recorded sound bite that turned into a T-shirt slogan in Italy.

Schettino argued that he fell into a lifeboat because of how the ship was listing to one side, but this argument proved unconvincing. In 2015, a court found Schettino guilty of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, abandoning ship before passengers and crew were evacuated and lying to authorities about the disaster. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. In addition to Schettino, Ferrarini and Rusli Bin, the other people who received convictions for their role in the disaster were Cabin Service Director Manrico Giampedroni, First Officer Ciro Ambrosio and Third Officer Silvia Coronica.

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How a cruise line evacuated 3,000 guests from the Caribbean in 4 days

Erica Silverstein

A week ago Tuesday, Norwegian Cruise Line executives got some good news — and some bad news.

The good news was that Norwegian Escape, which had been damaged when it ran aground off Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic on Monday, March 14, was deemed seaworthy and able to sail back to its home in Port Canaveral, Florida.

The bad news? The line's expert consultants thought it best that passengers not be on the ship for that transit.

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Suddenly, the cruise line's home office team had to drop their daily responsibilities and transform into an emergency evacuation squad. Their mission: Fly more than 3,000 passengers back to Florida from the Dominican Republic in time to catch their Saturday flights home — just four days away.

To complicate matters, the nearby Puerto Plata Airport (POP) is tiny without a large number of daily commercial flights. And roughly 350 passengers were not carrying passports because they're not required for a round-trip Florida cruise. It was spring break, with record numbers of people traveling due to pent-up pandemic demand.

It wasn't always pretty, but here's how Norwegian Cruise Line pulled it off, according to its president and CEO, Harry Sommer.

Even before the decision was made that passengers would not sail home with the ship, Norwegian's travel department reached out to the three or four charter flight companies they work with regularly.

The conversation, according to Sommer, went something like this: "OK, not quite sure if we're going to need you or not, and we won't know for a few hours, but if we need you, what type of planes can you put out? How fast can you turn them?"

To complicate matters further, most of the carriers Norwegian was working with did not have preestablished landing rights with the Dominican Republic. The process of acquiring those rights typically takes several months, but the cruise line told the charter companies, "We don't have three months to figure this out. You have one day."

The charter companies worked some magic, but it wasn't instantaneous.

The first got approval to land in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, with the rest acquiring landing rights later in the week. The first charter flight took off with Escape passengers on Wednesday, but most of the flights went out Thursday and Friday, with two on Saturday. (It was supposed to be just one, but one plane had a mechanical issue, and those passengers had to spend a night in a hotel until they could get out Saturday morning.)

In total, the line required 16 flights across five carriers to get upwards of 3,000 passengers back to Florida. Though Norwegian wouldn't say which charter companies they used, a search on the FlightAware flight tracking website showed flights operated by Eastern Airlines, Omni Air International, Air Century, Nolinor and GlobalX. The cruise line used a mix of 767s, A320s and A321s, and a handful of people actually boarded a commercial flight back to Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Other considerations included not having flights land after midnight because U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at Orlando International shuts down for the night between 12 and 1 a.m., and cabs stop running then as well.

The passports

cruise ship captain escaped

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative allows U.S. citizens to exit and re-enter the U.S. without a passport if they're sailing on a cruise round-trip from one U.S. port and visiting only destinations in North and Central America (including U.S. states and territories, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda).

Norwegian Escape was sailing an itinerary that fit these parameters, and roughly 350 passengers on board were not carrying passports. In order to fly back to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, however, travelers are required to have a passport.

"So, we had to work closely with our contacts at Customs and Border Patrol to see if we can make an exception for these 300 people," explained Sommer, a process "that doesn't happen in five minutes."

Related: Trip wrecked: 7 ways to prepare for any kind of travel disaster

While they waited, the Norwegian Cruise Line team played through all the possibilities of how to get passengers home if the exemption wasn't granted. "Our Plan L — I wouldn't even call it a Plan B — is we have other ships that call on Puerto Plata on a regular basis," said Sommer. Because Norwegian Encore calls weekly in Puerto Plata, one option could have been for passengers to board that ship when it arrived and sail back to Miami, where they could be bussed to Port Canaveral.

Another possibility would be to take all the guests without passports to the nearest American consulate in Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic.

"I can't imagine that would have been a very good experience for our guests. Or the consulate, used to dealing with one or two people, not 350 guests showing up all at once," said Sommer.

In the end, though it took them a few hours to respond, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol did grant the exemption to the Norwegian Escape passengers and let them return to the U.S. despite not having passports with them. The best-case scenario was the one that came to pass.

With thousands of passengers to get home, how did Norwegian decide which guests to put on which flights? Would the VIP suite occupants get priority over the folks in the cheaper cabins? Sommer said they used three factors to determine who got on which flight.

"We were trying to split out the people that lived locally in the Orlando region from the other people," he said. Basically, the passengers who drove to the port would need to get bussed to Port Canaveral on arrival in Orlando so they could pick up their cars and drive home. The folks who flew to their cruise would likely want to stay in Orlando to catch their flights home.

Keeping the Central Floridians and other drivers together made the logistics easier when it came to organizing buses during the busy spring break season and organizing staff to monitor the port area, given preexisting pandemic-era staffing issues.

Norwegian also needed to keep families and other people traveling together on the same flight. And, finally, the CBP requested that all the passengers without passports fly together on their own flights, not mixed in with other travelers, so the processing would be simpler.

"We tried to use those parameters to put people on flights," said Sommer. The bulk of the passengers -- 90% according to Sommer -- were flown home on either Thursday or Friday.

The airport

cruise ship captain escaped

The most chaotic portion of the evacuation effort was definitely the situation at Puerto Plata airport. Take a look at Twitter, and you'll see complaints coming from passengers who spent hours at the airport with nothing to eat and little idea when their flight would depart.

So why did Norwegian Cruise Line choose to send cruisers home from this tiny airport?

"In a normal world, we try to go to a bigger airport like Santiago or Santo Domingo, but those were relatively far away from where the ship was and are relatively busy," said Sommer.

A transfer to a larger airport would involve a two-hour or longer bus ride, possibly over mountains. So, the line made the decision to base its airlift operation at the closest airport to the ship, Puerto Plata.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure of the airport was not set up to handle the onslaught of nearly 2,000 Norwegian passengers trying to get home. "It's a really small airport, so there's only a limited number of check-in counters," said Sommer. Suddenly, the airport had to accommodate six or seven extra flights on both Thursday and Friday, and it didn't have enough check-in counter space to handle that efficiently.

Nor did it have the staff.

"The charter companies contracted with the local company that does check-in at the airport. They pulled out all the stops and found every single person that they could to come in," said Sommer.

It wasn't enough. Even with NCL's local on-the-ground representatives stationed at the airport (and at the hotel that accommodated passengers scheduled for Saturday flights), Sommer acknowledges they could have used more people to make the transfers go more smoothly.

Related: What to ask for when things go wrong on your cruise ship

That's an understatement. From what passengers posted on social media, most didn't know there were any Norwegian representatives at the airport and they certainly weren't getting the level of service from them they were used to on board the ship. The nearly 2,000 Norwegian passengers were left in the hands of the charter airlines and their hastily assembled on-the-ground teams, at an overwhelmed airport that could not handle the crowds, and the experience was incredibly stressful.

"It wasn't really a huge difference between the first flight and the last flight," said Sommer, and while that is true when talking about time, he neglected to mention one huge difference. On Friday, Norwegian Escape disembarked all its remaining passengers and left.

Thursday travelers could wait on the ship, with all its amenities, until it was time to go to the airport. Friday travelers had to get off the ship early, wait at the port for buses to the airport, then sit at the airport -- sometimes all day -- waiting for their flight.

That meant tensions were high and moods were sour even before people arrived to check in for their flights.

So why didn't Norwegian Escape stay in port an extra day to ease the burden on the airport and see everyone off safely?

"We had operational issues that required us to return on Friday" was all Norwegian would say. Which doesn't feel like a satisfying answer for guests who spent an uncomfortable day at the airport.

Norwegian did go above and beyond to make guests whole. It refunded the entire cost of their paid cruise fare and gave them a future cruise credit to take another sailing on Norwegian's dime. The cruise line's travel department rescheduled travel plans for passengers who'd booked airfare through Norwegian and did not charge any change fees. Independent travelers were given free Internet access onboard to make any necessary arrangements.

And, of course, the cruise line footed the bill for the entire rescue operation, from hiring the charter planes to providing buses from Orlando back to Port Canaveral.

Mission accomplished?

In just four days, Norwegian managed to fly more than 3,000 passengers from the Caribbean to Florida — including successfully repatriating hundreds of guests without passports. It chartered 16 flights, found last-minute hotel space in Puerto Plata, and mobilized teams in the Dominican Republic and Florida to assist guests.

For some passengers, however, the logistical successes of Norwegian employees pale in comparison to the communication and people management failures that occurred once the ship departed.

When your dream holiday or much-awaited spring break goes wrong, and you're subjected to uncertainty, queues, long waits and unexpected costs from changed travel plans, you're not likely to think about the huge effort that went into simply getting you home. Many are likely wondering if the whole situation could have been avoided by better decision-making by the captain. (No verdict has been announced about whether the grounding was due to human error or a combination of unexpected wind and bad luck.)

The takeaway? Travel always involves a certain amount of risk. You can't avoid unexpected problems on the road, but you can take steps to make getting through the situation less stressful.

Purchase travel insurance to cover airline change fees or last-minute hotel stays when your travel plans go awry. Always pack extra snacks and medications, and bring an external battery to charge electronics on the go. Whenever you leave the country, even on cruises where you don't need one, carry a passport. And try, as hard as it might be, to embrace a Zen and patient attitude in the face of adversity.

In this case, having a major cruise line working tirelessly to get folks home kept a bad situation from becoming even worse. (Imagine trying to get, on your own, from Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo to the consulate to apply for an emergency passport and then have to make and pay for your own flight arrangements home during spring break.)

In hindsight, the ship should have stayed longer and the line should not have relied on the charter airlines to manage the airport crowds, but in the end, everyone got home safely, and that was the cruise line's number-one priority.

Unfortunately, as is often the case when travel plans go awry, while the solution was certainly impressive, it was not always pretty.

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10 years later, Costa Concordia survivors share their stories from doomed cruise ship

Ten years after the deadly Costa Concordia cruise line disaster in Italy, survivors still vividly remember scenes of chaos they say were like something straight out of the movie "Titanic."

NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiella caught up with a group of survivors on TODAY Wednesday, a decade after they escaped a maritime disaster that claimed the lives of 32 people. The Italian cruise ship ran aground off the tiny Italian island of Giglio after striking an underground rock and capsizing.

"I think it’s the panic, the feeling of panic, is what’s carried through over 10 years," Ian Donoff, who was on the cruise with his wife Janice for their honeymoon, told Cobiella. "And it’s just as strong now."

More than 4,000 passengers and crew were on board when the ship crashed into rocks in the dark in the Mediterranean Sea, sending seawater rushing into the vessel as people scrambled for their lives.

The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, had been performing a sail-past salute of Giglio when he steered the ship too close to the island and hit the jagged reef, opening a 230-foot gash in the side of the cruise liner.

Passengers struggled to escape in the darkness, clambering to get to the life boats. Alaska resident Nate Lukes was with his wife, Cary, and their four daughters aboard the ship and remembers the chaos that ensued as the ship started to sink.

"There was really a melee there is the best way to describe it," he told Cobiella. "It's very similar to the movie 'Titanic.' People were jumping onto the top of the lifeboats and pushing down women and children to try to get to them."

The lifeboats wouldn't drop down because the ship was tilted on its side, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on the side of the ship for hours in the cold. People were left to clamber down a rope ladder over a distance equivalent to 11 stories.

"Everybody was rushing for the lifeboats," Nate Lukes said. "I felt like (my daughters) were going to get trampled, and putting my arms around them and just holding them together and letting the sea of people go by us."

Schettino was convicted of multiple manslaughter as well as abandoning ship after leaving before all the passengers had reached safety. He is now serving a 16-year prison sentence .

It took nearly two years for the damaged ship to be raised from its side before it was towed away to be scrapped.

The calamity caused changes in the cruise industry like carrying more lifejackets and holding emergency drills before leaving port.

A decade after that harrowing night, the survivors are grateful to have made it out alive. None of the survivors who spoke with Cobiella have been on a cruise since that day.

"I said that if we survive this, then our marriage will have to survive forever," Ian Donoff said.

Scott Stump is a trending reporter and the writer of the daily newsletter This is TODAY (which you should subscribe to here! ) that brings the day's news, health tips, parenting stories, recipes and a daily delight right to your inbox. He has been a regular contributor for TODAY.com since 2011, producing features and news for pop culture, parents, politics, health, style, food and pretty much everything else. 

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Breaking news, carnival freedom cruise ship catches fire for second time in less than 2 years.

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The Carnival Freedom cruise ship experienced its second fire in less than two years, and passenger footage caught the flames with smoke coming from the ship’s exhaust funnel Saturday afternoon. 

“That’s nutty,” X user @breezebreeze_ can be heard while showing the fire aboard the ship.

Carnival Cruise Line put out several tweet replies regarding the incident they say happened at 3:15 ET. 

“Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel,” one of the posts read. “The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to Princess Cay due to weather.”

The news prompted passengers of the ship’s upcoming departure from Port Canaveral on Monday to ask the cruise line if their itinerary would go off as planned.

“Is the cruise for the Carnival Freedom March 25 departing cruise from Port Canaveral still planning on going?” one X user asked Carnival. “We need to know for travel purposes!”

Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel March 23, 2024.

“I can almost guarantee it’ll be canceled,” another X user wrote about the ship’s next planned cruise. “This isn’t the first time this has happened ironically to this ship, and the following sailing when it happened that time were canceled, but obviously not confirm[ed].”

Carnival quickly responded to quell any rumors, saying it does not expect any impact on the next Carnival Freedom voyage. 

The Freedom’s exhaust funnel caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked at Grand Turk Island in Turks and Caicos. Video from then also showed the ship’s funnel – referred to by some as the whale tail – consumed by flames and smoke. 

Footage shows a Carnival Cruise ship on fire in Turks and Caicos in 2022.

The part of the ship that caught fire is designed to help direct the flow of exhaust gases away from the ship, according to the Crown Cruise Vacations website. 

“The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames,” Carnival said about Saturday’s fire. “Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike and that is being investigated.”

Carnival said the captain made “multiple announcements to guests and crew” about the fire. The port side of the funnel fell onto Deck 10, Carnival said. No injuries were reported.

The Carnival Freedom was in Freeport as scheduled Sunday, according to CruiseMapper. Carnival said there are no operational issues with the ship’s systems.

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Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel March 23, 2024.

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Ten years on, Costa Concordia continues to haunt survivors and islanders: A look back at the cruise ship disaster

In what many call as the modern Titanic, a massive luxury liner ran aground off Italy’s Giglio island and toppled over into freezing waters on 13 January 2012, killing 32 people

Ten years on, Costa Concordia continues to haunt survivors and islanders: A look back at the cruise ship disaster

In what is dubbed as modern-day ‘Titanic’, ten years ago, on 13 January 2012, Costa Concordia, a vast, luxury liner, had run aground off Italy’s Giglio island and toppled over into freezing waters, in a disaster that left 32 people dead.

The liner, carrying 4,229 people from 70 countries, ran aground while many passengers were at dinner.

As Italy marks the 10th anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster with a daylong commemoration that will end with a candlelit vigil, we take a look at what happened that fateful day and what were the consequences of such a tragedy.

What happened then?

More than 4,000 passengers and crew were on board when the ship crashed into rocks in the dark in the Mediterranean Sea, sending seawater rushing into the vessel as people scrambled for their lives.

The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, had been performing a sail-past salute of Giglio when he steered the ship too close to the island and hit the jagged reef, opening a 230-foot gash in the side of the cruise liner.

Passengers struggled to escape in the darkness, clambering to get to the lifeboats.

Alaska resident Nate Lukes, who was on board with his wife and four daughters, recounting the horror was quoted as telling The Today Show _, “There was really a melee… that is the best way to describe it. It’s very similar to the movie ‘Titanic.’ People were jumping onto the top of the lifeboats and pushing down women and children to try to get to them.”_

Concordia survivor Georgia Ananias told the Associated Press , “I always said this will not define me, but you have no choice. We all suffer from PTSD. We had a lot of guilt that we survived and 32 other people died.”

Passenger Ester Percossi recalled being thrown to the ground in the dining room by the initial impact of the reef gashing into the hull, which she said felt “like an earthquake.” The lights went out, and bottles, glasses and plates flew off the tables and onto the floor.

“We got up and with great effort went out on the deck and there we got the life vests, those that we could find, because everyone was grabbing them from each other, to save themselves," she recalled. “There was no law. Just survival and that is it.”

Captain arrested

After initial investigations into the incident, Prosecutor Francesco Verusio confirmed passenger allegations that Schettino abandoned the Concordia before all the passengers and crew had been evacuated.

In 2013, Schettino went on trial for manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing the shipwreck. Two years later in February, the court in Grosseto found him guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in prison for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the vessel before passengers and crew had been evacuated, as well as for giving false information about the gravity of the collision.

His final appeal in 2017 was rejected and he is now serving his sentence at Rome’s Rebibbia prison.

Indian connection

The Costa Concordia tragedy hit home after it was revealed that 32-year-old Russel Rebello, hailing from Naigaon, near Mumbai, was working on the ship as a 32-year-old waiter.

Kevin, his brother, was quoted as saying about that night to AFP , “He had been ill that night. He was in his cabin when it flooded with water. He rushed out barefoot in shorts and met a friend who lent him clothes… He helped people into lifeboats. He was still helping them when the ship tilted over sharply, and people fell into the water. No-one saw him after that.”

On 3 November 2014, his body was finally retrieved from the waters by the crews dismantling the vessel for scrap in Genoa.

Marking the tragedy

A noon Mass will be held at Giglio’s church to honour the 32 people who died in the shipwreck, while survivors and relatives of the dead will place a wreath in the water where the hulking liner finally came to rest on its side off Giglio’s coast.

With inputs from agencies

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Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

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cruise ship captain escaped

Captain Coward fled from sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia leaving 300 passengers and crew to their fate

  • Francesco Schettino was at the command of cruise liner in January 2012
  • Catalogue of errors by captain documented in official 176-page dossier
  • He faces 20 years in prison for his part in the maritime disaster

By Hannah Roberts

Published: 12:09 EDT, 28 May 2013 | Updated: 20:29 EDT, 28 May 2013

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Three hundred passengers and crew were still on the sinking cruise ship Concordia as its captain made his escape, the official report on the tragedy has revealed.

Among other damning revelations in the 176-page dossier is that the coastguard were not alerted to the incident until they were phoned by a passenger’s mother.

Half an hour after the collision, Captain Francesco Schettino had yet to put out a distress signal.

Captain Francesco Schettino was at the command of the cruise liner in January 2012 when it hit rocks off the coast of Tuscany and sank, killing 32 people

Captain Francesco Schettino was at the command of the cruise liner in January 2012 when it hit rocks off the coast of Tuscany and sank, killing 32 people

But by this time a mother of one of the passengers had informed police of an accident, after receiving a call saying that the ship was in blackout, a ceiling had collapsed and those on board were putting on their life jackets.

Some 32 people died when the Costa Cruises liner ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio in January last year, hours after leaving Civitavecchia on the first leg of a cruise round the Mediterranean.

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A catalogue of errors by 53-year-old Schettino are documented in the dossier into the disaster by the Italian maritime authorities.

The captain caused the collision by sailing too fast, too close to shore, and he was distracted by people who had no business on the bridge, it found.

He had failed to consult large-scale maps, and used the wrong landmark on the island to turn the ship. He then delayed sounding the general alarm, and when he did eventually speak to the coastguard, downplayed the seriousness of  the incident.

Passengers and crew were left to their fate by the captain of the cruise ship Concordia, the official report on the tragedy has revealed, while 80 were still fighting for their lives as the sea-master stood safely on shore

Passengers and crew were left to their fate by the captain of the cruise ship Concordia, the official report on the tragedy has revealed, while 80 were still fighting for their lives as the sea-master stood safely on shore

The report appears to demolish Schettino’s claim that he saved thousands of lives by steering the ship into shore, saying the crash caused the rudder to fail. Instead, a detailed chronology reveals how he left his 4,228 passengers to fend for themselves.

At 9.45pm, the ship ran aground at a rate of 16 knots. As the rocks tore a 150ft gash in the ship’s  belly, the loud scrape and subsequent blackout made it obvious to everyone on board that something was very wrong. Five watertight compartments were immediately submerged, meaning the ship was doomed.

But it took another 31 minutes for Schettino to alert the authorities and it was not until an hour after impact that the order to abandon ship was given. At 11.19pm, with 300 passengers and crew still on board, the captain and officers abandoned the bridge.

Shortly afterwards, when coastguard officials called Schettino’s mobile phone, he had already slipped onto a lifeboat.

A lifeboat is prepared after the ship run aground off Italian island Giglio's coast in January 2012. The report demolishes Schettino's claim that he saved thousands of lives, by steering the ship into shore

A lifeboat is prepared after the ship run aground off Italian island Giglio's coast in January 2012. The report demolishes Schettino's claim that he saved thousands of lives, by steering the ship into shore

Schettino (centre) faces 20 years in prison for his part in the maritime disaster off the island off Giglio. Others were also at fault, the report found

Schettino (centre) faces 20 years in prison for his part in the maritime disaster off the island off Giglio. Others were also at fault, the report found

He was ordered to return to his vessel but continued towards shore. By the time he reached Giglio, 80 passengers and crew were still struggling to stay alive on the sinking vessel.

Human error is ‘the root cause  of the Costa Concordia casualty’, the report concludes, much of  it the ‘inadequacy’ of the ship’s command and Schettino’s ‘unconventional behaviour’.

But others were also at fault, the report found. Members of the bridge team are said to have been ‘passive’, neglecting to question the captain’s actions and warn him of the impending impact.

The report is not intended to be used in judicial proceedings but comes just in time for Schettino’s trial in July.

The former seaman faces 20 years in prison for his part in the maritime disaster, considered Italy’s worst since the Second World War.

Share or comment on this article: Captain Coward fled from sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia leaving 300 passengers and crew to their fate

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Maryland governor vows to deploy all resources as search continues for six missing people after Baltimore bridge collapse – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Baltimore bridge collapse, read our full report:

  • At least six missing as Biden laments ‘terrible accident’
  • Have you been affected by the Baltimore bridge collapse?
  • 2d ago Evening summary
  • 2d ago Wes Moore: no update on search and rescue efforts, vows to deploy all resources
  • 2d ago Men missing are 'hard-working, humble', says man who reportedly knows them
  • 2d ago NTSB will investigate bridge collapse
  • 2d ago Bridge height is 'potentially lethal problem' among other concerns, says doctor
  • 2d ago Transportation secretary to travel to Baltimore
  • 2d ago Biden: search and rescue is 'top priority'
  • 2d ago Biden calls bridge collapse a 'terrible accident'
  • 2d ago Biden to make speech after Key Bridge collapse
  • 2d ago Crew issued mayday request after ship lost power, governor says
  • 2d ago Six people still unaccounted for after bridge collapse, officials say
  • 2d ago Homeland security secretary says collision doesn't appear intentional act
  • 2d ago Summary
  • 2d ago Search and rescue efforts continue in Baltimore, after two people rescued
  • 2d ago Vessel which collided with bridge chartered by Maersk, company says
  • 2d ago Maryland governor declares state of emergency
  • 2d ago Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: vehicles fall into water after being hit by ship
  • 2d ago Moment bridge collapses in Baltimore after cargo ship collision – video
  • 2d ago At least seven people in need of rescue in river after bridge collapse
  • 2d ago 'Efforts are underway,' Baltimore mayor says
  • 2d ago Baltimore bridge collapses

Wes Moore: no update on search and rescue efforts, vows to deploy all resources

Maryland governor Wes Moore said that there are no new updates on the search and rescue effort.

Moore added that rescuers have deployed air, land, and sea methods to help search for survivors.

“There is not a single resource that we will hold off on deploying,” Moore said during the press conference.

“This is very much still a search and rescue mission,” he added.

Evening summary

We are wrapping up our minute-by-minute updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse for this evening, but will continue to share major news updates on our homepage .

Six people remain missing in the wake of the bridge collapse, as state and national officials said a search and rescue mission by land, air and sea remained the top priority, and offered prayers and support to the families of the missing.

Local news outlets reported that eight construction workers repairing potholes on the bridge were believed to have fallen into the water, and only two have been rescued so far. One person who was hospitalized following the collapse has been released from the hospital.

The missing are “hard-working, humble men” from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. They are in their 30s and 40s and have spouses and children, another construction worker told the Baltimore Banner . Doctors from a local hospital trauma center said that it was unlikely that anyone could survive for multiple hours submerged in the harbor’s cold water.

Joe Biden called the bridge collapse “a terrible accident” , pledged financial and logistical assistance to rebuild the bridge and highlighted the importance of Baltimore’s port to the local and national economies.

The bridge collapse is expected to have a major and sustained impact on supply chains because of the importance of Baltimore’s harbor to international shipping routes.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the bridge collapse.

Maryland governor Wes Moore said quick action by officials as ship headed towards a collision with the bridge stopped additional vehicles from driving onto it, saving “innumerable” lives.

Wes Moore: quick action to stop additional cars going over bridge saved lives

Asked by reporters if there had been any vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed, Maryland governor Wes Moore said that was still under investigation.

But he said that “the quick work” of public and law enforcement officials to keep additional vehicles from driving onto the bridge as the collision unfolded “undoubtedly saved innumerable lives”.

There will be ‘major and protracted impact to supply chains ’, says Buttigieg.

This is Lois Beckett, picking up our live coverage from Los Angeles.

At this afternoon’s press conference, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters that the bridge collapse would have a national impact, because of the amount of cargo that comes through Baltimore’s port.

“There is no question that this will be a major and protracted impact to supply chains,” Buttigieg said. “It’s too soon to offer estimates on what it will take to clear the channel and reopen the port.”

Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, called Key Bridge one of the “cathedrals of American infrastructure” , during remarks at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

“This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure … so the path to normalcy will not be easy. It will not be quick. It will not be inexpensive, but we will rebuild together.”

Buttigieg added that government officials will need to “render all of the support that is needed at the federal level”.

“The federal government will provide all of the support that [is needed] for as long as it takes,” he added.

A body has reportedly been recovered from the water as search and rescue efforts are ongoing following the Key Bridge collapse , CNN reported.

Phylicia Porter, a Baltimore city councilmember, told the network that she had heard a body was pulled from the water.

“We are hearing one body was found,” she said.

The US Coast Guard, which has been leading search efforts, has not confirmed that report.

Men missing are 'hard-working, humble', says man who reportedly knows them

Six people are still missing after the Key Bridge collapse as search and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Jesus Campos, a construction worker who reportedly knows those working on the bridge, told the Baltimore Banner that they are all men from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.

Campos added that they are all in their 30s and 40s and have spouses and children.

“They are hard-working, humble men,” Campos said.

From Baltimore Banner reporter Clara Longo de Freitas via X:

Jesus Campos, a construction worker who knows the crew, said the men were from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. They are in their 30s and 40s and have spouses and children. “They are hard-working, humble men,” he said. More updates to come for @BaltimoreBanner . pic.twitter.com/dhMoFTiU7I — clara longo de freitas (@claralfreitas) March 26, 2024

Homendy added that investigators are still working to verify if the ship lost power shortly before crashing with the Key Bridge.

On those reports, Homendy said:

We’ve heard the reports. We have been made aware of those same reports about there being a power outage. I’ve also seen statements, media releases from Singapore as well. It’s something that we take in, but something that we have to verify through our investigation that that was what was part of the contributing cause here. So too early to tell.

The NTSB will be “standing back” for the time being to allow the coast guard to continue its search and rescue.

“We chose not to board the vessel today to allow some time for the search and recovery which we did not want to interfere with,” Homendy said.

“That is first and foremost,” she said.

Homendy added that the NTSB has gathered some additional information on the accident that needs to be verified first before publication.

NTSB will investigate bridge collapse

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair, Jennifer Homendy, confirmed that the agency will investigate the Key Bridge collapse , she said during a press conference.

The agency arrived to the scene at 6.00am on Tuesday to investigate the crash.

The US Coast Guard is also assisting with the investigation, calling the relationship between the two agencies “cooperative”.

“I want to extend our deepest sympathies to those who have been affect by today’s events,” Homendy added.

Homendy declined to comment on any potential fatalities associated with the bridge collapse, but noted that a search and rescue is still under way.

Bridge height is 'potentially lethal problem' among other concerns, says doctor

Doctors with the the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center are speaking on possible injuries that victims of the Key Bridge collapse are facing.

The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, which is apart of the University of Maryland medical system, received one patient who was injured. That person was released this afternoon.

While doctors did not speak on that specific patient’s injuries, they said that patients from the bridge collapse could face injuries from falling off the bridge.

“This is a very high bridge … the height alone [poses] a potentially lethal problem,” Dr David T Efron said during a press briefing.

Being trapped beneath metal or concrete could lead to a crushing injury.

Doctors added that patients also face the possibility of hypothermia. “[It] doesn’t take very long for someone to feel the effects of [the water’s] temperature,” Efron added.

On hypothermia, Efron added that being submerged for more than hour is “almost invariably not going to be survivable”.

The White House will also be monitoring how the Key Bridge collapse will disrupt domestic and global supply chains further , Reuters reported.

Officials have already warned that the collapsed bridge could have a significant impact on shipping out of the east coast.

The global supply chain has already faced major disruptions amid two global wars – one in Ukraine and in Gaza. The climate crisis and rising interest rates have also made shipping more expensive, costs that ultimately fall to consumers.

“This comes at a particularly difficult time,” said Bindiya Vakil, chief executive of supply chain management company Resilinc to the Washington Post . “With interest rates high, companies are looking to keep products moving.”

Read the full Washington Post article here (paywall).

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Norwegian Names Escape Captains and Senior Leadership Team

  • February 24, 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line today announced the captains and senior officers who will serve on Norwegian Escape.

Captain Evans Hoyt, an experienced seafarer with more than 30 years at sea, will take the helm of Norwegian Escape upon delivery this October. 

Captain Hoyt joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2005, and has served as Captain aboard four ships within the Norwegian fleet, including the U.S. flagged Pride of America.  Born in Morocco, the son of a U.S. diplomat, he has lived in many different countries. Hoyt graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York in 1982.

When Captain Hoyt is on vacation, Captain Gunnar Hammerin will take command of Norwegian Escape. Currently serving as Captain of Norwegian Pearl, Captain Hammerin began his nautical career more than 40 years ago serving in the Merchant Marine. He has more than  30 years of experience as a Captain, 20 of those years with Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruises.   

Staff Captains Robert Lundberg and Preston Carnahan will be on board to introduce the vessel to guests during her very exciting inaugural season.

Originally from Sweden, Lundberg joined Norwegian in 2006 and since has served as Chief Officer on Norwegian Breakaway and Staff Captain on board Norwegian Getaway. Hailing from Texas, Carnahan joined the company in 2003 and has held positions on several ships, including Norwegian Pearl and Pride of America.  He currently serves as Staff Captain on Norwegian Epic.

Zoran Posa will launch Norwegian Escape in the position of Chief Engineer and when on vacation will be relieved by Edin Huskanovic. Posa, who is from Croatia, has been a member of the Norwegian team since 2002 and has spent the majority of his time working on board Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky, and most recently as Chief Engineer on Norwegian Breakaway. Huskanovic, from Sweden, joined Norwegian in 2001, holding positions on Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn.  He currently serves as Chief Engineer on Norwegian Jade.

Sean Wurmhoeringer will serve as Norwegian Escape’s Hotel Director. Sean began his career at Norwegian in 2002 on board Norwegian Sun and has since held a variety of positions on numerous ships in Norwegian’s fleet. He is from Salzburg, Austria.

Cruise Director Julie Valeriote will lead Norwegian Escape’s entertainment team.  Valeriote, who hails from Ontario, joined Norwegian in 1999.

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2 crew members die on Holland America ship; fire breaks out on Carnival cruise

MIAMI — Two crew members died on board a Holland America cruise ship, and a fire broke out on a Carnival ship while both of the ships were in the Bahamas this weekend, officials said.

The two crew on the Florida-based Nieuw Amsterdam died Friday during an "accidental steam release" while it was calling at the private resort island Half Moon Cay, Holland America said in a statement on Sunday.

"There was an accidental steam release in an engineering space on board Nieuw Amsterdam, which sadly resulted in the death of two crew members," the cruise line said.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Dutch Safety Board were investigating the exact cause of the release, Holland America said.

A representative of the Bahama’s Coroner’s Court did not immediately respond to a request for information, such as the crew members’ identities and the cause and manner of death.

The cruise line said the conclusions of any investigation would be taken seriously. "Safety is always our top priority, and we are working to understand what, if anything, can be learned from this tragic accident," it said.

Passenger Laine Doss said she was on board when the captain announced the deaths on the vessel's P.A. system.

"We were celebrating the last day of the cruise," she said, when the mood changed "to something extremely somber."

The captain's voice broke, she said.

"He broke down crying," Doss said. "There was a moment of silence that the captain requested. And that entire scenario did affect the entire cruise. Things were canceled, joyous events were canceled, and we really just thought about mortality — the people who perished on the ship."

Crew members were being offered counseling, Holland America said.

Dutch government inspectors determined the vessel to be "fully operable," and this was "confirmed" by the U.S. Coast Guard, the cruise line said.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said she was looking into the statement and was unable to immediately confirm it.

The Nieuw Amsterdam returned Saturday to its home port of Fort Lauderdale, guests disembarked, and the vessel has embarked on a cruise with a stop in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on Monday, Holland America said.

"All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this event," the cruise line said. "We’ve been in contact with the families of both team members and are offering our support to them and to all of our crew at this difficult time."  

The ship set sail out of Fort Lauderdale on March 16 for a seven-night trip.

Fire on the port-side exhaust funnel of another Florida-based cruise ship in the Bahamas, the Carnival Freedom, rocked some passengers Saturday and took the ship out of commission for repairs, the cruise line said.

No injuries were reported.

In a statement Sunday, Carnival Cruises acknowledged witness reports of a lightning strike or the sound of thunder before the fire erupted.

Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was on a detoured path, destined for an unscheduled stop in Freeport, as a result of stormy weather and high winds when fire started.

"I was shocked," he said. "I mean, I looked out there and you're not supposed to see black smoke and fire shooting out of the tail end of the cruise."

The blaze was preceded by "the loudest thunder-lightning clap that I've ever heard in my life," Barnes said.

Ship personnel extinguished the fire, Carnival Cruises said.

The cruise line said a technical team determined the ship sustained enough damage that it will need repairs before it can be returned to scheduled cruises. The funnel was stabilized, passengers were expected to be returned to Port Canaveral, and the ship will set off to Freeport for repairs, it said.

"The damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," Carnival Cruises said.

Passengers scheduled for those late-March cruises are being offered full refunds and credit that can be used for a future cruise, it said.

It was the second funnel fire on the Carnival Freedom since 2022.

cruise ship captain escaped

Marissa Parra is a national correspondent for NBC News based in Miami, Florida.

cruise ship captain escaped

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. 

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Norwegian Escape Runs Aground, Leaving Ship Stranded

Richard Simms

Richard Simms

  • March 15, 2022

(Updated 8:07 p.m. ET) A newly updated article with the latest cancellation on Norwegian Escape can be found here.  

Guests on the Norwegian Escape found themselves experiencing an unexpected overnight stop after the ship ran aground off the coast of the Dominican Republic on Monday afternoon.

Norwegian Escape ‘s Unexpected Adventure

The ship ran afoul of a combination of shallow waters and high winds. As a result, the captain reported to guests, the bow wound up becoming entrenched in the ocean’s sandy bottom.

In a statement, Norwegian said, “During the afternoon of March 14, 2022, Norwegian Escape made contact with the channel bed as it was departing Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. All guests and crew are safe, and there are no reports of damages to the ship. Operations on board have not been impacted, and all services and activities continue as scheduled. We are currently working on a solution to free the ship and ready her for a safe departure.”

Because we live in the age of social media, the entire event was chronicled on Twitter by @DisneyTalk101 , aka The Disney Dude, who provided the pictures below.

NCL Escape aground tugs

And while some seemed to think the situation was dire, he assured us — and those following his feed — that nothing could be further from the truth. “Everything is very calm,” he said. “Life is normal other than the boat isn’t moving. All activities [are still] going on.” Of course, that did not include shopping or gambling because of the vessel’s proximity to land.

NCL escape grounded, tugs

In fact, he went on to send a special shout-out to the cruise line and their staff. “During this ‘beaching’ all crew members have been extremely calming and helpful,” he said in response to those suggesting otherwise. “No sense of panic. Other than not moving, you wouldn’t know there’s a problem.”

At the time of this writing, the ship is still stranded, with the assumption being that morning’s high tides will allow  Escape  to float free once again.

Norwegian escape tugs

At the time of the incident,  Norwegian Escape  was on a seven-night Caribbean sailing. The ship left Port Canaveral on Saturday, March 12. Following Monday’s stop in Puerto Plata, she was expected to sail to St. Thomas, Tortola and Great Stirrup Cay — better known as Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island — before returning to Florida on March 19.

There’s no word yet as to how the itinerary will be adjusted to account for the unexpected delay.

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Who owns the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore?

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

Updated on: March 26, 2024 / 5:05 PM EDT / CBS News

The collapse of  Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship has raised questions about who owns and manages the ship, as well as on the potential impact on one the busiest ports in the U.S.

Called the Dali, the 948-foot vessel that hit the bridge is managed by Synergy Marine Group, a Singapore-based company with over 660 ships under management around the world, according to its website . The group said the ship was operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group and chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk at the time of the incident, which sent vehicles and people tumbling into the Patapsco River.

"We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected," Maersk said in a statement to CBS News Tuesday, in which it also confirmed the ship was carrying cargo for Maersk customers. The company had no crew or personnel aboard the ship.

The Dali, which can carry up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, was carrying nearly 4,700 containers at the time of the collision. It was operated by a 22-person, Indian crew. It was not immediately clear what kind of cargo the ship was carrying. 

Who owns and manages the Dali?

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private, a Singapore-based company that provides water transportation services. The ship was chartered by Danish container shipping company Maersk at the time of the collision.

Synergy Marine, founded in 2006, provides a range of ship management services, including managing ships' technical components and their crews and overseeing safety, according to S&P Capital IQ. Its parent company, Unity Group Holdings International, an investment holding company, was founded in 2008 and is based in Hong Kong.

Where was the ship headed?

The outbound ship had left Baltimore and was headed for Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Synergy Marine Group said in a  press release . 

How busy is the Port of Baltimore?

In 2023, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo, worth $80 billion, according  to the office of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The port is also a significant provider of local jobs. 

The top port in the U.S. for sugar and gypsum imports, it is the ninth busiest U.S. port by the total volume and value of foreign cargo handled. All vessel traffic into and out of the facility is currently suspended, although the port remains open and trucks continue to be processed within the its terminals, according to a statement release by Port of Baltimore officials. 

What is the potential local economic impact?

Directly, the port supports 15,300 jobs, while another 140,000 in the area are related to port activities. The jobs provide a combined $3.3 billion in personal income, according to a CBS News report . The Port of Baltimore said Tuesday that it is unclear how long ship traffic will be suspended.

The disaster also caused chaos for local drivers. The Maryland Transportation Authority said all lanes were closed in both directions on I-695, with traffic being detoured to I-95 and I-895.

How could the bridge collapse affect consumers and businesses?

Experts say the bridge collapse could cause significant supply chain disruptions.

"While Baltimore is not one of the largest U.S. East Coast ports, it still imports and exports more than 1 million containers each year, so there is the potential for this to cause significant disruption to supply chains," Emily Stausbøll, a market analyst at Xeneta, an ocean and air freight analytics platform, said in a statement. 

She added that freight services from Asia to the East Coast in the U.S. have already been hampered by drought in the Panama Canal, as well as risks related to conflict in the Red Sea. Nearby ports, including those in New York, New Jersey and Virginia, will be relied on to handle more shipments if Baltimore remains inaccessible. 

Whether ocean freight shipping rates will rise dramatically, potentially affecting consumers as retailers pass along higher costs, will depend on how much extra capacity the alternate ports can handle, Stausbøll said. "However, there is only so much port capacity available and this will leave supply chains vulnerable to any further pressure."

Marty Durbin, senior vice president of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that the bridge is a critical connector of "people, businesses, and communities."

"Unfortunately, its prolonged closure will likely disrupt commercial activities and supply chains that rely on the bridge and Port of Baltimore each day," he said in a statement.

What other industries could be affected?

Trucking companies could be severely affected by the disaster. 

"Aside from the obvious tragedy, this incident will have significant and long-lasting impacts on the region," American Trucking Associations spokesperson Jessica Gail said, calling Key Bridge and Baltimore's port "critical components'' of the nation's infrastructure.

Gail noted that 1.3 million trucks cross the bridge every year — 3,600 a day. Trucks that carry hazardous materials will now have to make 30 miles of detours around Baltimore because they are prohibited from using the city's tunnels, she said, adding to delays and increasing fuel costs.

"Time-wise, it's going to hurt us a lot," added Russell Brehm, the terminal manager in Baltimore for Lee Transport, which trucks hazardous materials such as petroleum products and chemicals. The loss of the bridge will double to two hours the time it takes Lee to get loads from its terminal in Baltimore's Curtis Bay to the BJ's gasoline station in the waterfront neighborhood of Canton, he estimated.

Cruise operators are also being affected. A Carnival cruise ship that set off Sunday for the Bahamas had been scheduled to return to Baltimore on March 31. Carnival said Tuesday it is "currently evaluating options for Carnival Legend's scheduled return on Sunday." The company also has cruises scheduled to set sail from Baltimore through the summer. 

Norwegian Cruise Line last year introduced new routes departing from the Port of Baltimore. Its sailings are scheduled for late this year. The company said the Key Bridge collapse doesn't immediately require it to reroute any ships.

Who will pay to rebuild the bridge?

President Biden said Tuesday that the federal government, with congressional support, would pay to rebuild the bridge.

"We're going to work with our partners in Congress to make sure the state gets the support it needs. It's my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," Biden said in comments from the White House. "And I expect the Congress to support my effort. This is going take some time. The people of Baltimore can count on us though, to stick with them, at every step of the way, till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.

img-6153.jpg

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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Baltimore bridge crash puts new focus on role of ship pilots

Captain Ivan Carlson Jr.

The tragedy has put focus on the people who pilot ships in ports, a job that is little known outside the maritime industry but is extremely important.

From the Puget Sound Pilots headquarters in downtown Seattle, with a view of Puget Sound as a backdrop, Capt. Ivan Carlson Jr. walks Scripps News' Vanessa Misciagna through an unfolding situation: A cargo ship loses power and a pilot is turning the boat around to safely dock.

"I love ship-handling," said Carlson, a maritime pilot of 18 years. "When you do a good job and you just walk away and the captain says, 'Good job, pilot. Thank you.' Right? And so it feels good to do it right."

Carlson is also the executive director and president of  Puget Sound Pilots , an organization of marine pilots that work in Puget Sound, a 95-mile-long body of water in the heart of Western Washington State.

However, the role of a pilot is one that many people outside the world of mariners do not know exists.

"They're high-level maritime professionals who have received very specialized training, making them local-knowledge subject-matter experts for inland waters," said Jaimie Bever, executive director of the  Washington State Board of Pilotage Commissioners.

What that means is whenever a ship participating in international trade navigates toward a port from open ocean, a maritime pilot, specially trained to know the ins and outs of that specific waterway, meets the ship, climbs on board and navigates the vessel safely to its end destination.

This includes foreign container ships, cargo ships, cruise ships, and even some yachts.

The pilot knows every jetty, every lighthouse, every obstacle in their local waterway and helps maneuver the large vessel around all of it. According to the  American Pilots Association , there are about 1,200 pilots in the country who work in 24 coastal states as well as in the Great Lakes.

Workers recover bodies of 2 victims from Baltimore bridge collapse

Police said divers located two victims in the sunken debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

"Any little thing can go wrong and you have to be able to act very quickly. The ships are so big that there's no sudden moves that can fix anything. It takes a long time to stop. It takes a long time to turn. So, you know, just being completely aware of what's going on around you at all times is very important," said Bever.

Training to be a pilot is a long, difficult process. Sea captains with years of experience under their belt already, need to pass a test, then undergo hundreds of training trips. It can take 18-24 months to finish training, and that's not guaranteed.

Carlson says it's necessary to make sure every pilot is cool under pressure and a confident decision maker.

"[Licensed pilots] can only intervene three times, and the fourth time you're out of the program," said Carlson.

Carlson says pilots are the elite of the elite of the maritime industry, and they are paid accordingly. It depends on where they operate, but some pilots can make up to $400,000-$500,000 a year. But it's a job that does not come without risk.

One of the most dangerous parts of the job is getting onto the vessel in the first place. Pilots strap on a helmet and climb a ladder onto the side of the ship while it's still moving.

"That first step that can really kill you," said Carlson.

It's high-risk, but for people who love the water, it can be a rewarding way to earn a good living.

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cruise ship captain escaped

Cruise ship horror as two crew members killed in 'engine room explosion'

Two crew members tragically lost their lives after a shocking 'engine room explosion' on a cruise in the Bahamas.

The luxury Holland America cruise from Florida to the Bahamas turned into horrific events when an explosion occurred. The seven-night voyage quickly became a trip of nightmares rather than delight.

The Nieuw Amsterdam cruise ship, with 2,100 seats, had just docked at Half Moon Bay in Little San Salvador on Friday when the blast happened. It left Fort Lauderdale only a week before.

Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer from Florida, received photos showing the aftermath of the blast in a steam compensator from the crew members. Tragically, two men who were working nearby got trapped and lost their lives.

READ MORE: Abusive mom Ruby Franke's arrest and creepy interview released for first time

He stated: "Holland America says that it notified 'the appropriate authorities' and is currently investigating the incident. They did not identify the investigating agency nor state whether it would release additional information. Cruise lines which perform investigations following accidents of this type keep their finding and conclusions secret."

Laine Doss, a travel blogger, was among the passengers on the ill-fated cruise. She shared her shock upon hearing the terrible announcement made to everyone.

Recalling the moment, she said: "'Today, at 3 pm, when the Captain asked for our attention, I was convinced it was a weather announcement. Instead, he announced that two crew members were killed in an engine room accident."

"I was working on my computer at the Ocean Bar, a lovely venue with panoramic views. Suddenly, the convivial chatter and clink of glasses turned somber as we heard the captain's voice break as he announced the news. One woman started crying. The rest of us lifted our glasses in tribute."

The cruise line quickly reached out to authorities about the accident, which is currently under investigation, and they've mentioned other staff members are receiving counseling services, according to reports from MailOnline.

A company spokesperson shared: "All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members' families at this difficult time. The safety, security and welfare of all guests and crew are the company's absolute priority."

Another passenger, Bonnie Shapiro, posted on social media: "The staff is keeping smiles on their faces and making sure their passengers are getting great service, but it must be so difficult for them, they are truly professionals."

This isn't the first major accident the ship has experienced. In 2017, it ran aground at Santa Cruz Huatulco in Mexico due to strong winds that broke mooring lies.

Then two years later, the cruise liner was hit by sister ship MS Oosterdam while docking in Vancouver, Canada.

A huge exploison killed two crew members on a cruise ship

2 Holland America crew members die after 'incident' on cruise ship in the Bahamas

  • Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an "incident" in the engineering space.
  • In a statement, the cruise line said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident.
  • The Bahamas Maritime Authority is investigating the deaths.

Insider Today

Two crew members aboard a Holland America cruise ship died during an 'incident' in the ship's engineering space.

In a statement released by Holland America, the cruise line said the unnamed crew members had died Friday whilst the Nieuw Amsterdam liner was at the small island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.

"All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members' families at this difficult time," the statement said.

"The safety, security and welfare of all guests and crew are the company's absolute priority."

Authorities were notified and the cause of the deaths is being investigated, the cruise line said. Crew members are also being offered counseling.

Related stories

Holland America later added that the Bahamas Maritime Authority was leading the investigation.

The ship, which can carry over 2,000 people, set sail out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 16 March for a seven-night cruise.

Cruise ships are an incredibly popular form of vacation. In 2019 alone, the global cruise industry welcomed more than 29 million passengers and in 2022, the global cruise market was valued at $7.67 billion.

Deaths on board cruise ships are rare, however.

According to reports, a total of 623 people died on cruise ships between 2000 and 2019. Of these fatalities, 66 were crew members, and 557 were passengers.

Eighty-seven percent of these deaths occurred while on the sea, while the other 13% occurred while the ships were docked. Statistics also show that 97 passengers and crew members died due to cardiac issues, 72 died due to accidentally falling overboard, and 60 died due to jumping overboard. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic there were numerous outbreaks on cruise ships.

The Ruby Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, became infamous in 2020 as the source of many of Australia's early cases when thousands of passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney. There were 900 infections on the ship and 28 people died.

Watch: Cruise ship captain breaks down 8 cruise ship disasters in movies and TV

cruise ship captain escaped

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Small Fire Breaks Out On The Norwegian Escape

cruise ship captain escaped

A small fire broke out in the engine room technical area on the Norwegian Cruise Lines’ ship Norwegian Escape yesterday morning, after the vessel departed from Civitavecchia on a 10-day round-trip to Greek Isles and Italy. 

Code Bravo was sounded on the ship's PA system and the firefighting teams were quickly dispatched to the affected area. 

The incident was localized in the compartments 16 and 17 on deck 2, and none of the crew or guest areas has been affected. During the incident Norwegian Escape reduced speed due to technical reasons and therefore the next port of call, Santorini was canceled.

There was an announcement by the captain informing guests sailing aboard Norwegian Escape, saying that the incident was in a technical area in one of our engine spaces and the situation is now under control. 

”Please rest assured that the situation is under control and all our crew is in their positions and addressing the situation. The incident is localized in compartments 16 and 17 on deck 2, and we will give you further updates so you can continue with normal routines. The ship is sailing with reduced speed so we can complete our assessment of the affected area and the ship will resume its original speed and proceed on our course.”

A video of the announcement was shared by DB the Irish Cruiser

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What we know about Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being hit by a cargo ship, with large parts of the bridge falling into the Patapsco River.

At least eight people fell into the water, members of a construction crew working on the bridge at the time, officials said. Two were rescued, one uninjured and one in serious condition, and two bodies were recovered on Wednesday. The remaining four are presumed dead. The workers are believed to be the only victims in the disaster.

Here’s what we know so far.

Baltimore bridge collapse

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship , sending at least eight people from a construction crew into the water. Follow live updates and see photos from the scene .

How it happened: The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers recovered the bodies of two construction workers who died , while finding other vehicles trapped and probably containing the other victims, officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . The entire crew aboard the container ship Dali survived . First responders shut down most traffic on the four-lane bridge after the crew issued an urgent mayday call. It saved lives, Moore said.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge, which severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, adds a fresh headache to already struggling global supply chains . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

History: The Key Bridge was built in the 1970s and spanned the Patapsco River. Rebuilding the bridge will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, experts said.

  • Six presumed dead in bridge collapse were immigrants, soccer fans, family men March 27, 2024 Six presumed dead in bridge collapse were immigrants, soccer fans, family men March 27, 2024
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cruise ship captain escaped

Norwegian Cruise Line appoints captain for Escape

Norwegian Cruise Line appoints captain for Escape

By Rebecca Gibson | 25 February 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line has appointed Evans Hoyt as captain of Norwegian Escape, which will homeport in Miami year-round from November 2015.

Hoyt, who joined Norwegian in 2005 and has more than 30 years of experience at sea, will take the helm of Norwegian Escape when she is delivered in Germany this October. Currently serving as captain of Norwegian Breakaway, Hoyt will be responsible for all aspects of the ship, her guests and crew.

When Captain Hoyt is on vacation, Gunnar Hammerin will take command of Norwegian Escape. Hammerin, who currently serves as captain of Norwegian Pearl, began his nautical career around 40 years ago and has more than 30 years of experience as a captain, including 20 years with Norwegian and Star Cruises.

The ship’s new staff captains include Robert Lundberg and Preston Carnahan who joined Norwegian in 2006 and 2003 respectively. Responsible for the deck department, both Lundberg and Carnahan will report directly to Norwegian Escape’s captain and will manage guest and crew safety.

Zoran Posa will serve as chief engineer and assume full responsibility for the entire technical operation of the ship. Posa, who has been a member of the Norwegian team since 2002, most recently held the role of chief engineer on Norwegian Breakaway. While on vacation, Posa will be relieved by Edin Huskanovic, who currently serves as chief engineer on Norwegian Jade and joined the line in 2001.

Sean Wurmhoeringer, who began his career at Norwegian in 2002, will serve as Norwegian Escape’s hotel director, while Julie Valeriote, who joined the line in 1999, has been appointed as cruise director. Both Wurmhoeringer and Valeriote have recently led teams onboard Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.

Tags: Norwegian Escape

Rebecca Gibson

Rebecca Gibson

Related articles.

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  • Norwegian debuts new physical adventure game on four ships
  • Alfa Laval systems help to keep Norwegian Escape operational
  • Improving the ordering experience on Norwegian Escape

cruise ship captain escaped

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IMAGES

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COMMENTS

  1. Top 10 Disgraced Captains Who Abandoned Ship

    8 "They Can Stay". "When I order abandon ship, it doesn't matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people like to stay, they can stay.". Such callous words were spoken by Yiannis Avranas, captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank off the coast of South Africa in 1991.

  2. I was traumatized by my first cruise vacation after two ship-rocking

    Alisha and Nate, 31, a sales manager, set sail for their five-day romantic escape to tropical Costa Maya and Cozumel, leaving from a port in Galveston, Tex., on Jan. 22.

  3. Survivor recounts Costa Concordia cruise capsizing 10 years later

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  4. Francesco Schettino

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  5. The Costa Concordia Disaster: How Human Error Made It Worse

    The Italian captain went back onboard the wreck for the first time since the sinking of the cruise ship on January 13, 2012, as part of his trial for manslaughter and abandoning ship.

  6. How a cruise line evacuated 3,000 guests from the Caribbean in 4 days

    Suddenly, the cruise line's home office team had to drop their daily responsibilities and transform into an emergency evacuation squad. Their mission: Fly more than 3,000 passengers back to Florida from the Dominican Republic in time to catch their Saturday flights home — just four days away. To complicate matters, the nearby Puerto Plata ...

  7. Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino guilty of manslaughter

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  8. 10 years later, Costa Concordia survivors share their stories from

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  9. Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire for second time in less than

    00:00. 00:48. The Carnival Freedom cruise ship experienced its second fire in less than two years, and passenger footage caught the flames with smoke coming from the ship's exhaust funnel ...

  10. Ten years on, Costa Concordia continues to haunt survivors and

    The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, had been performing a sail-past salute of Giglio when he steered the ship too close to the island and hit the jagged reef, opening a 230-foot gash in the side of the cruise liner. Passengers struggled to escape in the darkness, clambering to get to the lifeboats. Advertisement.

  11. Norwegian Escape

    Norwegian Escape is a Breakaway Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.She was the fleet's first Breakaway Plus-class ship to be delivered and was designed with larger dimensions and gross tonnage than her older sister ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, at 164,998 GT. ...

  12. Dali ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse was in prior accident

    0:03. 0:47. The cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River, was involved in at least one prior accident when it ...

  13. Cargo ship that hit Baltimore bridge was involved in Antwerp collision

    According to Vessel Finder and the maritime incident archive Shipwrecklog, the Dali - a 948ft (290-meter) cargo ship with a capacity of 10,000 containers - was leaving the container terminal ...

  14. Escape from the Egyptian Bermuda Triangle: passengers describe

    Within an hour, the Carlton Queen had sunk to the bottom of the sea. Incredibly, all 26 guests, 15 of them British, survived the terrifying ordeal along with the ship's nine crew. Back in the UK ...

  15. Captain Coward fled from sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia leaving

    Three hundred passengers and crew were still on the sinking cruise ship Concordia as its captain made his escape, the official report on the tragedy has revealed. ... Captain Coward fled from ...

  16. New photos show lifeboat evacuation of Italian cruise ship Costa

    The Concordia ran aground and capsized on Jan. 13 after the captain, Francesco Schettino, veered from his approved course and gashed the ship's hull on a reef, forcing the panicked evacuation ...

  17. Baltimore bridge collapse: cars and people in water after ship

    Baltimore bridge collapses. A part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland has collapsed after a vessel crashed into the bridge, causing vehicles to fall into the river below. The ...

  18. Norwegian Names Escape Captains and Senior Leadership Team

    Norwegian Cruise Line today announced the captains and senior officers who will serve on Norwegian Escape. Captain Evans Hoyt, an experienced seafarer with more than 30 years at sea, will take the helm of Norwegian Escape upon delivery this October. Captain Hoyt joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2005, and has served as Captain aboard four ships ...

  19. 2 crew members die on Holland America ship; fire breaks out on Carnival

    Get more news on. MIAMI — Two crew members died on board a Holland America cruise ship, and a fire broke out on a Carnival ship while both of the ships were in the Bahamas this weekend ...

  20. Norwegian Escape Runs Aground, Leaving Ship Stranded

    Norwegian Escape's Unexpected Adventure. The ship ran afoul of a combination of shallow waters and high winds. As a result, the captain reported to guests, the bow wound up becoming entrenched ...

  21. Two Holland America workers who died on cruise were allegedly ...

    Two Holland America employees who died in a cruise ship's engineering space were allegedly killed by a steam explosion - and the vessel's emotional captain broke down when he announced the ...

  22. Who owns the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

    March 26, 2024 / 11:52 AM EDT / CBS News. A cargo ship slammed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday, causing the structure to collapse. The shocking incident has raised questions ...

  23. Norwegian Escape's Captains and Senior Leadership named

    Captain Evans Hoyt, an experienced seafarer with more than 30 years at sea, will take the helm of Norwegian Escape upon delivery of the ship in Germany this October. Currently serving as Captain of Norwegian Breakaway, Captain Hoyt will be responsible for all aspects of the ship, her guests and crew. He joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2005, and ...

  24. Baltimore bridge crash puts new focus on role of ship pilots

    The tragedy has put focus on the people who pilot ships in ports, a job that is little known outside the maritime industry but is extremely important. From the Puget Sound Pilots headquarters in downtown Seattle, with a view of Puget Sound as a backdrop, Capt. Ivan Carlson Jr. walks Scripps News' Vanessa Misciagna through an unfolding situation ...

  25. Cruise ship horror as two crew members killed in 'engine room ...

    Cruise ship horror as two crew members killed in 'engine room explosion'. Story by Sean McPolin. • 11m • 2 min read. The 2,100-seat Nieuw Amsterdam had docked at Half Moon Bay in Little San ...

  26. Holland America: 2 Crew Deaths After 'Incident' on Bahamas Cruise Ship

    The ship, which can carry over 2,000 people, set sail out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 16 March for a seven-night cruise. Cruise ships are an incredibly popular form of vacation.

  27. Small Fire Breaks Out On The Norwegian Escape

    A small fire broke out in the engine room technical area on the Norwegian Cruise Lines' ship Norwegian Escape yesterday morning, after the vessel departed from Civitavecchia on a 10-day round-trip to Greek Isles and Italy. Code Bravo was sounded on the ship's PA system and the firefighting teams were quickly dispatched to the affected area.

  28. What we know about Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

    The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being hit by a cargo ship, with large parts of the bridge falling into the Patapsco River. At least eight people fell into ...

  29. Norwegian Cruise Line appoints captain for Escape

    Norwegian Cruise Line has appointed Evans Hoyt as captain of Norwegian Escape, which will homeport in Miami year-round from November 2015. Hoyt, who joined Norwegian in 2005 and has more than 30 years of experience at sea, will take the helm of Norwegian Escape when she is delivered in Germany this October. Currently serving as captain of Norwegian Breakaway, Hoyt will be responsible for all ...

  30. What it's like to be a cruise ship captain

    Every evening, whether the Celebrity Edge cruise ship is crisscrossing the Caribbean or meandering around the Mediterranean, Captain Kate McCue writes night orders for her team. She always ...